In October 2012, pilots from around the world plan to climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and jump off in paragliders.

Among the 200 will be Johnna Haskell of Carrabassett Valley.

In part, she wants to help the people of Tanzania, where the 19,341-foot mountain is located. Together, the pilots will give $1 million to the Tanzanian people.

There’s also the chance to check off an item on a long bucket list.

“What I’m trying to do is live my dreams,” Haskell said. “I’ve turned 50 this year and I’ve got to do it before I can’t do it.”

Name: Johnna Haskell

Age: 50

Hometown: Carrabassett Valley

Single, Relationship or Married? Married

You’ve been a teacher, a photographer and a writer. How do you describe yourself today? I will always be a teacher. Today, I am an adventurer, mountaineer, skier, paraglider pilot and photographer.

It seems like most of your work is centered on nature and being outdoors. What does the natural world do for you? Being out interacting in the natural world is key to who I am. I love spending hours with animals in the wild photographing natural behavior or feeling the wind on my face and flying like a bird. I seek “being in the zone” as referred to in athletic performance, while photographing wildlife, climbing or flying a paraglider.

What led you to climb mountains? A local teacher and friend got me into ice climbing in high school and I climbed Mt. Blanc (15,776 feet) and Monte Rosa (15,203 feet) in France and Switzerland to acclimatize to climb Mount Elbrus (18,510 feet) in Russia at the age of 24. I have always had a passion for climbing the seven summits.

You’ve climbed Denali and a variety of tall peaks. What was the toughest climb? Sometimes the toughest climb may be the one you have to turn around on before reaching the summit in violent weather or it may not be on a mountain at all. . . . Tough is a matter of perspective and how hard one enjoys pushing one’s potential. As far as a mountain, Denali is clearly one of the most difficult, as you are the porter carrying a 50- to 80-pound pack while hauling a 100-pound sled to establish camps in severe weather.

You seem pretty courageous. What scares you? Actually driving a car 60 mph . . . is the scariest activity. A healthy respect of fear is essential to feeling alive and being present while participating in climbing, skiing or paragliding. Not living my passions scares me more.

How did you get involved in paragliding? In 2008, a long-time friend from Slovakia that I met in Russia contacted me to come skin up some mountains to ski. He was a competition pilot and introduced me to paragliding. I took my first tandem ride with a spiral dive and loved it. I have been working toward my pilots license and hours flying ever since.

What does it feel like to fly? Flying reminds me of carving turns on skis or white water kayaking, yet the thermals I want to climb in are invisible. With the air on my face and the quiet of the world below cloud level — this is as close to flying like a bird as I can imagine. My most notable flights have been thermalling with Griffon vultures and watching up close the amazing performance of those with feathers.

What’s the tallest peak you’ve paraglided from? I learned to paraglide off Merriam Crater (6,385 feet) in Flagstaff, Ariz. My best height has been up to 7,100 feet off a 3,000-foot mountain recently in my first cross-country flight in Spain.

Once you’ve climbed Kilimanjaro, what’s next? I like to focus on one major goal at a time. I have a lot of training to do and flight time to achieve as well as an SIV (simulated in flight) training of collapses before climbing Kili. Since this is the first time permits have been granted to fly off Kili, this is an opportunity of a lifetime! There are a lot of mountains to climb and fly in the world, so the sky is full of limitless possibilities!

For more on Johnna Haskell, find her on Facebook and at www.JohnnaHaskellphotos.com.

Copy the Story Link